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NANOSCIENCES
The Invisible Revolution
by Christian Joachim (CEMES-CNRS, France) & Laurence
Plévert (Independent Science Journalist)
128pp
978-981-283-714-1(pbk): US$28 / £19 US$21
/ £14.25
978-981-283-715-8(ebook): US$36 US$27
Table
of Contents (31k)
Introduction:
Infinities in a Grain of Sand (139k)
Chapter
1: A Case of Misdirection (57k)
The nanosciences and their companion nanotechnologies are a
hot topic all around the world. For some, they promise developments
ranging from nanobots to revolutionary new materials. For others, they
raise the specter of Big Brother and of atomically modified organisms
(AMOs). This book is a counterbalance to spin and paranoia alike,
asking us to consider what the nanosciences really are.
Nanosciences are not just a branch of materials sciences, a
common misrepresentation fostered in the funding wars. Nor should
nanotechnology be confused with miniaturization, a convergence of
microelectronics, biotechnology and lab-on-chip techniques. These
misconceptions arise from a well-orchestrated US policy dating from the
mid-1990s, in which the instrument that lies at the heart of the true
nanoscience revolution - the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) -
plays just a minor part. These issues are covered here for the first
time in a book by a scientist who holds two Feynman prizes in
nanotechnology and who has played a significant role in the birth of
the nanosciences. Writing from the cutting edge and with an
understanding of the real nature of nanoscience, the author provides a
scientific and historical perspective on the subject, a response to the
misplaced ethical concerns of objectors and to the scaremongering of
the popular press.
Contents:
- A Case of Misdirection
- The Incredible Shrinking Chip
- Stay at the Bottom
- Monumentalization
- Nanobacteria
- Who's Afraid of Nanotechnologies
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